Cybercrime Prevention Act -- Makes SOPA look reasonable

I live here in the Philippines where it happened just today. Long story short, this is what has happened:

*The most retarded senator in the world (I wonder if I'll be arrested for this), Vicente Sotto III, was participating in some meetings.
*The imbecile plagiarized his entire speech from JFK speeches.
*The internet made fun of him for being such an idiot.
*He starts backing up this Cybercrime Prevention Act because he's a butthurt idiot.
*The Act has just been passed today, and now the government can declare your actions on the internet illegal if they don't like it. They can also take your computer away without a warrant and search it.

The government of the Philippines has passed the Cybercrime Prevention Act, which on the surface, as usual, sounds perfectly well-intentioned. But when you read the actual contents of what’s been deemed “cybercrime,” SOPA’s proposed censorship sounds downright lax by comparison.

Yes, there’s the usual hacking, cracking, identity theft and spamming, which most of us can agree should be illegal. But there’s also cybersex, pornography, file-sharing (SOPA’s main target) and the most controversial provision, online libel.

“If you click ‘like,’ you can be sued, and if you share, you can also be sued,” said Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, one of the lawmakers who voted against the passage of the law.

“Even Mark Zuckerberg can be charged with cyber-libel,” the senator said.

The provision, according to Guingona, is so broad and vague that it’s not even clear who should be liable for a given statement online. And if you’re found guilty, get ready to spend up to 12 years in prison.

The problem with the internet is parallel to its greatest achievement: it has given the little man an outlet where he can be heard. Most of the time however, the little man is a little man because he is not worth hearing.
Want to chat with people who aren't idiots? Join our IRC.

Honestly, it's stupid, what are they really going to do? Enter your house and take your computer/lap because of something you did on the internet? Wth, I can understand the file-sharing thing but not the rest, it's just stupid. That guy is seriously butthurt.

Yes, there’s the usual hacking, cracking, identity theft and spamming, which most of us can agree should be illegal. But there’s also cybersex, pornography, file-sharing (SOPA’s main target) and the most controversial provision, online libel.

I think it's time to move.

Originally Posted by Torethyr

I thought doing the toothpaste-tube-squeeze and vigorous shake was the "traditional" way.

So by the nature of your post, you could possibly also be charged under this act (online libel)?

That's pretty messed up, son. I sincerely feel sorry.

Probably. It's happening all over the internet though (if you know where to look), so I don't think they're going to arrest a few thousand of us by tomorrow. It'll be interesting if they do. I wonder what would happen to me if I got a Cracked article discussing how stupid this is. Facebook post is nothing compared to something a Filipino citizen wrote with a few hundred thousand views.

The problem with the internet is parallel to its greatest achievement: it has given the little man an outlet where he can be heard. Most of the time however, the little man is a little man because he is not worth hearing.
Want to chat with people who aren't idiots? Join our IRC.

The problem with the internet is parallel to its greatest achievement: it has given the little man an outlet where he can be heard. Most of the time however, the little man is a little man because he is not worth hearing.
Want to chat with people who aren't idiots? Join our IRC.

Honestly, it's stupid, what are they really going to do? Enter your house and take your computer/lap because of something you did on the internet? Wth, I can understand the file-sharing thing but not the rest, it's just stupid. That guy is seriously butthurt.

It's nice to have a good long list of legal pretexts if you're a government agency.

The fact that he passed his law and nobody objected until it was passed... kind of shows that your people don't understand democracy, no offense.

that's an ignorant statement. they can sneak things like this in with OTHER BILLS that have NOTHING to do with what they're trying to sneak in. unless someone on the inside tells you, you can't know

and you don't get to vote on it, you get to bitch about it and SOMETIMES it matters, sometimes it doesn't. democracy has never been "the will of the people". it's why poor people aren't in politics, they don't give a shit about the will of the people

Wow welcome to communism in its purest form. How the hell is this a US territory? Puerto Rico pay attention. You guys do not want to be a part of the United States and protected by our constitution.

This is what happens when you do not have a government of the people and by the people. Tyranny takes over!

Forgive my stupid question, but how is this related to communism in any way, shape, or form?

OT: Is this law only applicable to Philippines or is it going to affect the world like ACTA would have? Also, seriously shouldn't that guy be getting removed from his position for plagiarizing instead of passing laws?

Forgive my stupid question, but how is this related to communism in any way, shape, or form?

OT: Is this law only applicable to Philippines or is it going to affect the world like ACTA would have? Also, seriously shouldn't that guy be getting removed from his position for plagiarizing instead of passing laws?

Only the Philippines. And this is a country where the politicians knowingly steal millions worth of funds and get reelected every time. A little speech won't do anything.

The problem with the internet is parallel to its greatest achievement: it has given the little man an outlet where he can be heard. Most of the time however, the little man is a little man because he is not worth hearing.
Want to chat with people who aren't idiots? Join our IRC.

Honestly, it's stupid, what are they really going to do? Enter your house and take your computer/lap because of something you did on the internet? Wth, I can understand the file-sharing thing but not the rest, it's just stupid. That guy is seriously butthurt.

Yeah it's bad, but then again it's at the Philippines, so it doesn't really matter.

A few years back a court in Brazil ordered Youtube to shut down the whole website because of copyright infringements. I'm sure the Youtube lawyers got a few good laughs out of that document. Needless to say, Youtube is still open to this day.

Yeah it's bad, but then again it's at the Philippines, so it doesn't really matter.

A few years back a court in Brazil ordered Youtube to shut down the whole website because of copyright infringements. I'm sure the Youtube lawyers got a few good laughs out of that document. Needless to say, Youtube is still open to this day.

It matters to the people who live in the Philipines, and it should matter to those who don't. Even if you don't care about what happens to those who it directly impacts it has the potential to stand as precedent for other countries. IF they actually prevent "cyber crime" and things like copyright infringment then people in your country might stand up saying "look! it works!"

I'm hoping nonsense like this will either be dropped (or, if successful now, repealed later) when the pre-Digital Age generations have finally died off and make room for younger politicians. They may not be any nicer, but surely they'll realise acts like this are just as likely to lead to their shooting themselves in the foot as they are to gain benefits from them.